1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a connector and to a connector assembly.
2. Description of the Related Art
A connector includes a housing and terminal fittings that are mounted in the housing. Each terminal fitting has a connecting portion configured for connection with a mating terminal fitting. Female terminal fittings in such a connector have tubular connecting portions for the connection with male terminal fittings. The front ends of the connecting portions of the terminal fittings are aligned as a prerequisite. A retainer normally is mounted in the housing and engages the rear ends of the connecting portions of the respective terminal fittings to retain the terminal fittings in the housing.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-182709 discloses a connector with large and small terminal fittings provided in a mixed manner in conformity with permissible current values. However, the tubular connecting portions have different volumes and different lengths along forward and backward directions depending upon the size of the terminal fittings. Thus, the rear ends of the connecting portions are not aligned with respect to forward and backward directions, and may interfere with a side-mounted retainer. The large and small terminal fittings can be arranged in the housing to avoid the interference with the retainer. Specifically, the shorter terminal fittings can be arranged at an entrance side with respect to an inserting direction of the retainer, and longer terminal fittings can be arranged at a back side with respect to the inserting direction of the retainer. However, connectors with terminal fittings of different lengths along forward and backward directions are deprived of a degree of freedom in designing the arrangement of the terminal fittings.
The present invention was developed in view of the above problem and an object thereof is to provide a connector in which terminal fittings whose connecting portions have different lengths along forward and backward directions are arranged in a mixed manner and with a higher degree of freedom in the arrangement of terminal fittings in a connector housing.